(Advanced) Writing project: Jumping into a new bowl

Think back over your life. Was there a time when you changed direction, took a new path? Left your familiar world behind to explore something new? It might have been a small thing that had big results? Maybe you decided to go your own way, against the advice or wishes of others? Maybe you went against your own advice? Maybe you changed your mind about what you wanted to become, maybe you found a new group of friends, a new set of interests. Maybe you just grew out of something.

Whatever it was, write a few paragraphs about a time of change in your life. Talk about what happened before, during and after that time.

Language focus

If possible try to use a few cleft sentences:

The reason........sth happened / I did sth.......was..........

The way.......sth happened / I did sth.......was..........

The thing that.......happened / I did......was....

The first / second / last thing....... to happen, that happened, I did was

What.......happened / I did......was....

What I remember most is....

One thing..........I did / that happened was.......

It was.........sth / sb.......that / who

It wasn't until........sth happened / I did sth.........that........sth happened

It was then that...... sth happened / I did sth.....

All........that happened / I did was

The only thing.........I could do / that could happen was



Student work:

1. add the extra words

then                        and develop                         actually

during this time                  The thing was                   abruptly

and                  realised              just                     just

I was working in a maternity and delivery ward, but  ____ in 2015, the hospital _______ closed. The reason for the closure was the opening of a larger new one not far away from mine. More births,___ more money too. The way that this happened was very bad for my colleagues and I. The thing that my boss  ______ said was, "you will be fired in 2 months, but you have to work until that date".

It was only when the mail deliverer gave me the envelope that I realized I'd lost my job. What I found really difficult was the lack of communication. When something like this happens to you and it's the first time, you don't know how to deal with. You have a lot of questions and so many things in your head. It was I who helped and supported my colleague during this time. I prefer to take care of others over myself. (I'm working on it now, I have to come first).

_______, I ____ didn't want to work in a huge hospital. So I decided to take some time for myself to think about my future. It's very important, to be sure. The first thing that happened was that with all that pressure on my shoulders, I was exhausted. The second thing that I did to feel better was to exercise at the gym. If you are well in your body and in your mind, you can do anything you want.

It was my parents who encouraged me to find another way to express _______ myself. And in the end what happened was I _______I was ready to go back to school. 

What I remember most __________ was the support of my family and friends. The only thing I could do was to go forward, and I did___  that. 

Our whole life is full of obstacles, I'm ready to take on these future challenges.

2. add the extra words

This had always been         This happened      In the end,            take the plunge        ought to         was             what we call               to do with

__________ two years ago when I was finishing my fourth year of studies after high school graduation - my first year of a two-year Masters in Business Management. I was looking for a company where I'll / ’d be able to finish my final year in _________ work-study. While doing my research, I found a company that offered me a full-time position, and not a work-study position  as I'd been looking for. The job offer was very attractive: a commercial assistant position, in charge of recruitment in a temporary work agency. It was a one-year contract. This offer may not seem so attractive, but it was exactly the position I wanted at that time - and I remember that I hesitated. But I thought that one-year off would / will be fine, for my studies but mostly for my savings. 

The other reason I hesitated was ________ my family and friends. They told me that was a stupid idea to stop my studies so close to the end. Actually, I agreed with them but on the other hand, earn a living was very tempting. Now, it seems to me to be a small thing, but I remember that at the time it was a big deal. It isn’t easy, in your twenty-somethings, to find what you want to do for living or in life. I was at this point. In fact, my studies weren’t holding my interest and I was wondering if I _______ continue in Business Management or go into Human Resources. And this job was a good opportunity to get to know better what Humans Resources ____.

__________, one thing that helped me to make my decision was my desire to travel. ___________ my plan after my five years of study came to an end, but I didn't have enough savings to do it. This desire for travel was the “why” I needed to decide to ____________. So I put the Masters aside and took the offer from the company. It was my first “real” job, after many internships, and I was finally earning some money.

Today, I don’t regret my decision because, first, I’m in New Zealand right now thanks to being able to save some money from that job. Secondly, I now have a better idea of what job I want to do when I go  /  I will go back to / in France. And thirdly, I got a lot of great professional experience from this opportunity.